Battletech is a really good tactics game that combines giant mechs with X-COM. I’ve spent many hours building experimental robots and taking dangerous jobs to keep my mercenary corps afloat. Kotaku video producer Paul Tamayo was curious about the game, so I ran him through a mission to learn the basics.

Battletech’s giant robot brawls can last a long time before one side claims victory. The recently released tactics game embraces a slow, deliberate pace that can lull the player into false comfort. Thanks to an unlikely dice roll, a single critical attack this weekend became one of the most shocking moments I’ve ever…

This week, two hacking groups have independently released methods that allow a user to jailbreak the Switch, which one group is already using to run a ported version of Linux on Nintendo’s device. The worse news for Nintendo—the hackers say the exploit is due to a bug in the system’s processor chip, meaning that…

Capturing the feeling of early AOL chats can be difficult, while crafting an engrossing LGBT narrative can be ever harder. Secret Little Haven nails both, transporting players to the earlier days of the internet and telling a story that is both empathetic and believable. It’s intriguing and a great choice for this…

Joy Exhibition is a freeform art game in which the player must communicate with a mute alien race by painting. They are given a blank canvas, a massive arsenal of procedurally generated paint guns, and free rein to create whatever art they can think of.

A Road to Aweis an exploration game featuring hundreds of M.C. Escher-inspired digital worlds. Developer lectronice added a new location every day throughout 2017, creating a gorgeous series of mazes, monuments, and museums. It’s this week’s indie pick.

The Catacombs of Solarisby Ian MacLarty is an exploration game that sends players through a maze of warping walls. There’s only one goal: find your favorite room in the labyrinth. It’s a trippy waltz through a technicolor wonderland. It’s this week’s Indie Pick.

Nullpointer is a cyberspace shooter that asks the important question “What if Tron but with guns?” It turns out that the result is a lot of fun. With a replayable rogue-like structure, Nullpointer offers plenty of bit and bytes to blast into oblivion. It’s this week’s Indie Pick.

Released this week on Steam, Aztez is a single-player strategy board game in which the ancient Aztecs attempt to survive and thrive until the Spanish invaders arrive. It just happens that surviving and thriving involves lots of bloody black and white beat-em up action.

Tacoma is a narrative game about chasing ghosts. Set in the future aboard a large space station, players search for answers in augmented reality recordings of past events. The digital remnants of the station’s crew steal romantic moments, play video games, and strum guitars. These shadows are all too human, and…

A monster made of wings and eyes hangs in the abyss. It calls you a liar and demands that you prove your worth. This is the world of Boa Retina, a game about gender identity and the pain of feeling incomplete. It’s this week’s Indie Pick.

Moirai is a first person adventure game set in an idyllic farming village full of secret tragedy. Players explore a deep mine in search of a missing woman, armed only with a knife and their morality. It’s this week’s Indie Pick.

You Have 293 Keys is an absurdist look at game dungeons and an exercise in patience, created by 14HLB. Faced with a locked door and a massive pile of keys, players must brute force their way to victory or give into their deepest frustrations. It’s a silly game that makes repetition into art and a perfect Indie Pick.

Meka On is a “run-and-gun-and-sword-and-weeb-and-zoom-boom-fwoosh mecha brawler” available on PC, Mac, and Linux. Players guide a giant robot through endless waves of enemies. It’s a delicious slice of arcade fun, full of explosions and laser swords. Anime as all hell, it’s a perfect Indie Pick.

Paisley Princess takes all of the excitement and charm of a grand adventure game and shrinks it down to a snug 5x5 scale box for a pint sized bit of hacking and dungeon delving. It’s this week’s Indie Pick.

Beeswing is a charismatic game dancing the line between adventure and RPG. Exploring a quiet Scottish village, you help citizens solve their problems in a beautifully handcrafted world. It’s this week’s indie pick.

I’m laying down to recover health by bathing my photosynthetic skin in the sun when my evil twin leaps from a portal and starts firing a laser pistol at me. I’m about to conjure a couple of fireballs before my narcolepsy kicks in at the worst time. Just another day in Caves of Qud. It’s this week’s Indie Pick.